Is it just me or is anyone else already drowning in schoolwork and the hustle and bustle of college life?

I will boldly admit I have already endured my first or third mental breakdown, but it’s my senior year and the sixth week into school, so it’s totally normal and okay.

This semester, the Lord has been teaching me so much about the value of rest. Not necessarily about tasting the sweetness of nine hours of sleep or having a low-key class schedule, but rather about finding my rest in Him.

This past summer, I worked at Pine Cove Camps in Texas (Go Cones!). Never in my 21 years of life have I been more wiped out or exhausted. I almost cried tears of joy when my head finally hit the pillow at night because of the long days I committed to being a counselor.

I would wake up every morning before my campers and go in the bathroom, sit against the wall, and pray. I would ask God for His energy and His strength to get me through the day. I remember telling one of my campers about doing this when she was complaining about her lack of sleep. Her eyes widened and she replied sincerely, “I never thought of doing that.”

God loves when we give our tiredness and burdens to Him. In 1 Peter 5:7, it reads, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” What a thought. I serve a God who cares about me and my wellbeing so much that He says don’t sweat it, just give it up to Me with open hands.

For me, I get caught up in the “daily grind.” I feel like I never get a second to breathe. However, it’s not so much about the circumstances as it is my reaction to them. How do I react when I am under pressure? Stressed? Anxious about all the things I have to get done by tomorrow morning?

Hey, I am right there with you, but this week, I have challenged myself to persevere through these seemingly tough times and find my rest in Him. That means when I begin to feel my brain clogging up with my never ending to-do list, I quickly refocus my mind by praying that the Lord would redirect my thoughts and relieve me of my stress. With my mind cleared, I start being productive and little by little, I get things accomplished.

Right now, it is the sixth week of fall semester. In only a matter of weeks, it will be finals week and we will be looking back at what exactly? A semester that was marked with unnecessary worries and stress or rather a semester when we learned a taste of what it means to rely on the Lord for all things.

I want to end with two quick things. First, go to Spotify and look up “Rest in You” by All Sons and Daughters. Life changing song, my friends. Second, remember what Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Rest in Him; He’s got you.